


discretion

by Jelly



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post Season 3, implied janaya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 04:14:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21531550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jelly/pseuds/Jelly
Summary: Their relationship's not a secret. Not really.(Or four people who figured it out, and one who didn't).
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 67
Kudos: 1215





	discretion

Their relationship's not a secret. Not really.

Callum starts it. It’s half a joke, half genuine curiosity, borne out of his and Rayla’s shared affection for each other without actually having _talked_ about it. Like, yes. He does like her. He likes her a _lot._ He’s told her so. Heck, he’s kissed her, and held her hand, and pulled her close at night just to remind himself that she’s there, and she’s absolutely done those things back, so he’s relatively certain that she likes him back in exactly the same way.

But things have been kind of a mess lately, and between dealing with Nyx and Ezran’s return, they haven’t _really_ had time to actually address the fact that they’re… well…

A _thing._

“So… when we get up there,” he begins, a little hesitant, a little coy, and a _lot_ more shy than he means to be. They’re climbing the steps of the Storm Spire, and while he’s not particularly afraid of heights, the narrowness and instability of the path makes his hands sweat within his gloves. “Are we gonna tell the Dragon Queen we’re… a _thing_?”

“Er.” Rayla glances at him over her shoulder. “I don’t think it’s going to come up.”

“Oh, I see. You’re saying we should hide it from her.” Part of him’s a little disappointed by it, but there’s a weariness in her eyes that makes him want to cheer her up _more._ “Kind of a secret, forbidden-romance situation.”

She turns her head, just a bit, but it’s enough for Callum to see that pretty smile of hers tugging at the corners of her lips. She rolls her eyes, exasperated, amused, and when she turns, her grin is cheeky and overly dramatic. “Yes,” she says, hopping back down the steps. He can hear the joke long before she even voices it. “Yes, that’s right. The Dragon Queen must never know!” She presses a finger to his lips, and he fights the urge to purse them just so - to kiss her there before she pulls away. The last time she did this, it was to shush him in the tunnels beneath the castle, but today, it’s playful. _Flirty_.

Callum sighs in feigned sorrow. “I understand,” he says. “The world just isn’t ready for what we have!”

Rayla snorts at him. Slaps his arm with an impish smile, and he chuckles, enjoying the light in her eyes and the laughter building behind her teeth before he follows her up the path.

That’s the closest they get to discussing it.

Then again, he supposes, it doesn’t really matter.

  
x

The air gets thinner the higher they climb. Callum’s had anxiety attacks in the past, and he knows better than most how it feels to forget how to breathe, but up here, it’s a different story. He stumbles. Vaguely he hears Rayla’s footsteps quickening against the stones, and the next thing he knows her arms around his chest. “Thanks,” he mumbles, offering her a tired smile. His limbs feel like lead. He can’t remember how to move them, and Rayla struggles for a moment longer before her breath fails her too.

She falls. 

“It’s too much,” she gasps. 

Callum’s barely conscious. Barely breathing. But still, somehow, he finds her fingers, trying to hold them tight within his as his vision starts to blur.

The next thing he knows is Ez, rasping and shivering and shaking his shoulders, desperation in his voice.

“Guys! Wake up! You gotta wake up!”

Callum groans. His head hurts. His lungs hurt. He can’t remember how to _breathe_ , let alone think, even as Ez pushes him upwards and scrambles for his sketchbook.

“I know how to fix everything,” he pants, flipping clumsily to an empty page. “The gateway wasn’t a warning. It was the solution.”

“What?” manages Callum. “What are you talking about?”

Ez swallows - or tries to. His throat is probably as dry as Callum’s. “To make it all the way up, you have to _draw your last breath._ It’s a _rune_ , Callum. And the trigger words are _Ventus Spiralis._ ”

Callum groans. He struggles to his knees as Ez pushes the sketchbook towards him, the rune on the page blurry in his sight. “How do you know all this?”

“I met an old friend.”

It’s all Ez says on it, and, deep in his mind, Callum thinks that if he were less delirious, he might have been curious about it. He lifts the sketchbook; stares at the rune for longer than he needs to before he remembers he actually has to draw it, and scribbles it into the air with trembling finger. He sucks in the air before he remembers that there isn’t any, and rasps, “ _Ventus Spiralis!”_

The wind rushes around them. The glow hurts his eyes.

But he _gasps_ . He and Ez both do, only this time there’s _air_ again, and his lungs fill in a rush, grateful and eager for the oxygen within them once more. He grins at Ez, his breath still heavy, but he glances to his right and -

 _Rayla_.

She’s still out. She’s hardly breathing.

Callum panics, scrambling towards her with ungraceful hands to haul her into his arms. “Rayla, wake up! Come on!” 

For a split second, his heart stops - but then she coughs, and she gasps, and her eyes flutter open, and Callum _breathes_ again. For real, this time. 

“We’re gonna be okay,” he promises her, and gods, she’s so pretty in the orange light, and he was so _worried_ , and _she_ was so _worried_ , and obviously he has to kiss her now, so he does -

“Hey!” interrupts Ez. “That isn’t part of the spell!”

Oh. 

Oh, right. 

Callum purses his lips. Rayla hides her face behind her hand.

How had they forgotten? How had they _not realized_ they hadn’t told Ez?

“Uuuuh, yeah!” says Callum at last. Suddenly time is moving a lot quicker, and his face fills warmth as he tries, a little awkwardly, to explain. “So, uh, you were gone for a while, and now this is a thing! So…” It’s stupid, and it’s a poor explanation of what’s been going on, and Ezran is staring, and Rayla _still_ can’t look at either of them, and -

“ _What_?” says Ez.

A moment. 

And then - 

“ _Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat_.”

Callum grins at him, sheepish and apologetic. “Sorry,” he says. “It’s - uh - it’s a long story.”

Ez glances between them, looking confused and thrilled and curious all at once. His face splits into a grin. “It’s a long way up.”

So it is, thinks Callum. He supposes there’s no avoiding this now.

  
x

It’s not that they’re trying _not_ to tell people - it’s that there’s never an appropriate time for it. Soren’s arrival and the news he’d brought with him are kind of more pressing right now, and in between coming up with some sort of strategy that might, _somehow_ , keep them all alive, and liaising with Aunt Amaya and her friend Janai, and the troops they’d brought, it’s not like they can just _segue_ into it.

But after daybreak - after Soren pulls him aside to apologise for being a bully in their youth - after the meeting with the forces of Lux Aurea - after most of the troops have made their way back down the mountain to take their places at the foot of the Spire - Rayla catches his hand and tugs him back into the darkness of Zubeia’s lair.

For a moment, she doesn’t say anything. She just holds his hands in hers, her grip slick with the sweat of fear, and presses her forehead against his. “Be careful down there,” she murmurs finally. 

“I will,” mutters Callum, touching her nose with his own. “Promise me you’ll do the same.”

“As best as I can, anyway.” She chuckles. Her voice cracks, just a little, but she swallows and her cheeks stay dry.

“About - about what I wanted to say,” says Callum. “Up on the Pinnacle. Before - before Soren interrupted us.”

Rayla shakes her head, grim smile on her lips. “Don’t,” she whispers. “Not now. Just. Save it for later, okay? For when you come back.”

It’s subtle, like her. An unspoken request to promise that he will. He chuckles. “For when I come back,” he agrees. He kisses her then - just a quick one on her lips - before he pries himself from her at last. 

Gods, he’s proud of her. 

She’s their last line of defence. Their last hope, if everything - if _everyone_ else fails. The last Dragon Guard. 

Then he rounds the corner and she’s gone, and Aunt Amaya and Janai are waiting for him on the back of a winged sun mount.

 _Need a ride down?_ Amaya asks.

Callum offers her a grateful smile. _Yeah. Thanks._

The flight down is silent, except for the rush of wind in Callum’s ears. They set him down on a ledge a little way from the base, but Aunt Amaya holds a hand up to Janai before they take off again.

 _She’s a nice girl,_ she signs. There’s something… _knowing_ on her face. Callum blinks at her, not quite understanding what she means, but when it dawns on him at last, his cheeks warm and he stares down at his shoes.

 _About that,_ he signs. _Look, Aunt Amaya - and I know it - it hasn’t been very long, but I like her a lot, and -_

 _There’s no need to explain,_ signs Amaya. _Who am I to talk, anyway?_ She jerks her head at Janai. Then she winks. _We’ll get you back to her, don’t you worry._

Callum grins. _I won’t._

  
x

The first thing Callum does, after he catches her, and after the feathers fall away from his skin when they touch down again on the Pinnacle, is hold her to him in the tightest embrace he can muster and tell her over, and over, and over again - 

“ _I love you, I love you, I love you -”_

And she’s muttering something to him, and her hands are on his cheeks, and her nose is pressed against his, and oh _, gods_ , he never wants to let her go again, because while she’s here now, and safe in his arms, the image of her falling away from him - falling to her _death_ \- is burned into his memory, and it’s not an image he’ll likely forget anytime soon. 

Then he’s kissing her, and she’s everywhere to him, and she might as well be the air he’s breathing but that’s fine, because right now, she’s _everything_ , and he needs her to _know_ , and -

“ _Ahem._ ”

Callum blinks. He looks at Rayla. Her lips are swollen and parted, and her hair’s a windswept mess (only it wasn’t the wind that did that - he’s fairly certain that was just him), and she’s breathless, and red, and _so_ beautiful in this light -

And then he looks to his right and finds Ibis standing at the steps of the Pinnacle looking between them like he hasn’t quite put all the pieces together just yet.

“...You’re not a very conventional human, are you?”

Callum coughs and scratches awkwardly at the back of his head. “Not really.”

Ibis turns to Rayla. “Are Moonshadow boys not interesting enough for you?”

Rayla snorts. “Find me one more interesting than a human mage.” 

Dimly, Callum notes that she’s still clinging to him. Her arms are still around his neck, and she’s still standing with her chest pressed flush against his, but she doesn’t move, even under Ibis’ sort-of stunned, sort-of confused, sort-of disapproving stare. 

In the end, Ibis shrugs. “Fair’s fair, I suppose,” he says. “Be down in a ten minutes. There’s a crowd gathering. Try to be a little more presentable.”

Then he turns and leaves them to it.

  
x

When Ezran and the others start pulling their things together to go home, Callum decides on the spot that he isn’t going with them. Ezran has Corvus, and Opeli, and even Queen Aanya to offer him advice now. He’s grown so much in such a short space of time that as much as Callum _should_ be by his side, he’s not sure he can offer any counsel that would be _more_ useful than Corvus’, or Opeli’s, or Aanya’s.

In any case, Ibis is here and willing to take him on as an apprentice, and Zym is here and needs more than just Rayla to protect him, and _Rayla_ is here, and after everything they’ve seen - after everything they’ve been through together - he _can’t_ just leave.

“What do you mean you _‘can’t’_?” demands Opeli. “You’re needed in Katolis.”

“Am I, though?” asks Callum. “If anything… I’m needed more here. If this peace is going to last, then - then we need a human ambassador on _this_ side of the border. To - you know - facilitate peace and treaties and stuff. I _can’t_ go back with you guys. Not yet.”

“Opeli,” says Ez quietly. “It’s okay. He’s right.”

Opeli scowls at them both. “Your Highness,” she begins, trying to be patient. “You are our _Prince._ You have to understand, I can’t reasonably allow you to stay here without protection, at the _very_ least - ”

“I _have_ protection,” insists Callum. “I have Rayla.”

“She’s _one_ elf -”

“Exactly,” says Callum firmly. “She needs me here to help protect Zym as much as you need me here to act as a human ambassador. I can’t leave. I can’t leave _her._ ”

“But Your-” Opeli stops. Her eyes grow wide. She looks at Callum, and then past his shoulder at Rayla who’s talking quietly to Ibis at the entrance to Zubeia’s chamber, and then back again before realization dawns on her face. “Oh,” she says shortly. “I see.”

Ez raises an eyebrow at her. “Is that going to be a problem?” he asks, although it sounds more like a warning than a question.

Opeli huffs. “No,” she says at last. “Forgive me, Your Highness. I didn’t realize…”

“Ah, yeah.” Callum stares at the floor. “Sorry. I should have said something. I can’t leave, Opeli. This works out better for everyone. And… the truth is… I don’t want to. Not if it means being apart from Rayla.”

Opeli draws a breath. It’s long and irritated, but altogether more understanding than he thought she would be about this. She’s so much of a traditionalist that he didn’t think she would approve. But she bows, in the end. “Of course, Your Highness.”

Callum lets out a sigh. “Thank you,” he murmurs. “For understanding.”

Opeli rolls her eyes. “It’s a very convenient... _partnership_ , Prince Callum. Perhaps it might become moreso in time.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” laughs Callum. “But hey. Maybe.”

  
  
  


x

_one year later_

It’s a pretty quiet day by most standards when Soren figures it out.

He and Ez are here on a diplomatic visit and things have changed. Janai’s on the Dragon Guard now too, and there are enough elven warriors to defend Zym that Rayla might actually be given that indefinite period of absence to work alongside Callum as an elven ambassador.

Callum’s closer to a journeyman nowadays, and Ibis is happy for him to continue to study without his supervision. He’d had the wing runes tattooed onto his arms not so long ago, to save him from having to touch them up every three or four days, and things have been… _better_ than they have been in a _very_ long time.

They’re in the atrium. Callum’s sitting on the steps before Zubeia’s chamber with Rayla, her head rested comfortably against the side of his knee. Soren’s pacing because he likes the movement, and he’s on his (maybe) fourteenth lap of the room before he stops, stares at Callum and Rayla and their casual affection, and drops his sword.

“Are you two a _thing_?”

Rayla blinks at him. “Er. Yeah?”

“What?” Soren’s eyes practically bulge out of his head. “Since _when?_ ”

“Um.” Callum stifles a laugh. “Since a year ago? Since before Lord Viren even tried to attack the Storm Spire?”

“ _What?”_

Rayla smirks at him. “Not so good with picking up on signals, are you?”

“You never said anything!” he snaps. “This is huge! Why would you not say anything? _How_ could you not say anything? Was this a secret? I’m so insulted!”

Callum can’t help it this time. He _does_ laugh, but it comes out as an undignified snort that makes Rayla roll her eyes. “It’s not a secret,” chuckles Callum. “It was never a secret. We just… didn’t think we needed to tell people, that’s all. Most of them figured it out on their own anyway.”

“We thought it was obvious,” admits Rayla. “Was it not?”

“ _No_ ,” scowls Soren. “Not to _me.”_

“Eh, well.” Rayla shrugs. “Nothing’s obvious to _you_.”

It’s funny - to them, at least - because not even Soren argues with that.

**Author's Note:**

> yeah season 3 killed me, i am deceased
> 
> EDIT: the wonderful discord user @Chat went to the trouble of translating this fic into Russian! You can find their wonderful work here: https://ficbook.net/readfic/8848792


End file.
